Intel is prepping to launch 'Raptor Lake Next' CPUs and bring back DDR4 memory support

According to a new report over at Tom's Hardware, Intel is looking toward bringing back the LGA 1700 platform in 2027 with a 'Raptor Lake Next' desktop CPU lineup that's all about supporting older hardware and breathing more life into DDR4-based systems. It's a move that makes sense, especially in light of AMD's recent Ryzen 7 5800X3D revival and continued AM4 support, which is also a DDR4-based platform.

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For those who need a refresher, Intel's 'Raptor Lake' architecture debuted with the 13th-Gen Intel Core series of processors. And on that note, the Intel Core i9 14900K, which is based on 'Raptor Lake,' is still widely considered one of the company's best pure gaming CPUs.

And in the context of PC gaming, the rumored 'Raptor Lake Next' CPU lineup begins to make sense in light of rising DDR5 memory prices and gamers on a budget looking for a viable upgrade that still lets them make use of their DDR4 memory and storage. According to the report, this refresh will also see new LGA 1700 motherboards hit the market, with at least two vendors telling Tom's Hardware that it's about to increase production of AMD AM4, Intel LGA 1700, and DDR4 motherboards.

As for the potential specs, known insider @jaykihn0 says that Raptor Lake Next will actually target desktop and mobile with 125W, 65W, and HX SKUs planned. In addition, the refresh won't feature any new features outside of what was available on the 14th-Gen lineup, with full details on the new models expected soon.

And with that, if these will exist alongside 14-th Gen products, odds are we'll probably see a frequency bump and other tuning to boost performance.